


More Than Partners

by sugarspice623



Category: Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:27:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29201313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarspice623/pseuds/sugarspice623
Summary: Hailey and Jay have been skirting around their feelings for a long time now. Can they finally admit to each other these feelings?
Relationships: Jay Halstead/Hailey Upton
Kudos: 16





	1. I Can't Go Through This Again

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!! I've decided to move my stories from FF.net over to AO3 because I've been writing more on here, plus it's easier to keep track of my stories on here. This story is all about Hailey and Jay's journey together as a couple. I thought of this chapter before 8x03, so this was my version of it. When I actually saw the episode and the ending scene, it was perfection in its entirety, but I still like my version of it too. I hope you do too!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hailey gets a permanent job offer from the FBI. Jay doesn't know what to do about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just going to put my disclaimer at the beginning of the story, so that I don't have to repeat it for every chapter: I do not own Chicago PD or One Chicago in general. That's the brainchild of the creative genius himself, Dick Wolf!

It's only been a few weeks since Hailey Upton came back to Chicago from the FBI and returned to the Intelligence Unit. Voight sent her there to get her mind straight and she feels like she accomplished that quite easily. Her partner and hopefully, future boyfriend Jay Halstead, promised her pizza from Bartoli's the minute she got back and he did not retract that promise one bit. She was grateful for that. He was the only one she was hanging out with outside of work after all.

One day, Hailey and Jay were walking down the hall when Trudy Platt, the desk sergeant and a close friend of theirs, walked up to them to a package for Hailey. "Feds are sending packages," she said. Hailey had a puzzled look on her face. She looked at Jay, who's emotion was unspeakable at the moment. The two of them walked to the locker room and she put the package in her locker, telling herself and Jay that she would look at it when she got home later. The day went on rather smoothly and Hailey forgot about the package.

* * *

When Hailey got home, she went straight to her couch and opened up the package she got from the feds. Inside was a letter explaining what the offer was about, a formal invitation to a ceremony for new employees if she accepted, and a badge. While OA was a good partner in the FBI, she could never forget about Jay. However, this was a pretty good offer. She felt conflicted so she got her phone out and texted the one person that would help her out in a situation like this.

 **Hey. Can we meet up?** No more than she sent the text did she get a reply from Jay.

_Yeah, absolutely. You alright?_

**Yeah, for now. I wanna let you know about what the FBI offered me.**

_Okay. Where do you want to meet up?_

**How about a bar that I like to go to? Not Molly's. I love your brother and the rest of our friends, but they're rather nosy.**

_Haha, I agree. Send me the address. See you there!_ When the details were finalized about her meeting with Jay, Hailey got her red puffer coat, put it on, and got in her car to head to one of her favorite bars that she frequents.

* * *

Hailey was sitting at a table for two, water in front of her, when Jay walked in with a smile and sat across from her. "Hey. I know you've been dying to know what's in that package the feds offered. You were there when I got it after all," she said with a smirk on her face.

"You thought right. So, what did the FBI offer you?" Jay said, getting right to the point.

"Joint level task force." Hailey turned her lip upward somewhat, but luckily, Jay didn't notice it. He was too busy trying to comprehend this situation. He didn't know how to feel. Losing one girlfriend to the FBI was bad enough, now the feds want to take the woman he's been in love with for a year or so too? The feds must hate him for some reason! "Jay?" Hailey looked at his face. She wasn't sure how he was taking it. It looked like he was emotionless almost.

"I really don't know what to say to all this."

"You know, you could tell me that you don't want me to take it." Jay was speechless. Was she implying that she doesn't want to go?

"Hailey, I can't do that to you. Yeah, I don't want you to take it, but at the same time, I also can't keep you from an awesome opportunity. This is all you. Ball's in your court now." Hailey nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. It is an amazing opportunity, but I wanna mull it over for a day or so before I make a final decision." It was Jay's turn to nod. They were hungry, so they decided to order food and talk about things other than the elephant in the room that they talked about.

* * *

The next night, after a brutal case that the team had, Jay decided to go out to Molly's with Kevin and Adam. A guys night was in order. The three of them haven't hung out in a long time. He got there before the other two knuckleheads did, although he shouldn't be surprised. Adam and Kevin usually showed up together. Jay gave his usual beer order to Herrmann and he got it immediately. He was drinking his beer when Adam showed up without Kevin.

"Hey, man," Adam said, sitting down next to Jay and getting a beer himself from Herrmann.

"Hey. Where's Kev?" Jay asked him.

"He had something to deal with Jordan about. You don't enjoy my company or something?"

"It's not that. He promised he would come to guys' night."

"I know, but he said he would make it up to you next time."

"Alright. To be honest, I'm glad it's just you here. You would know what I'm going through." Adam was confused. "Hailey told me something that I'm not sure I'm okay with."

"Okay. What was that?"

"She told me that she got an offer from the FBI. Joint level task force, to be exact. You know that already. She's been talking about it all day."

"Yeah. So, how do you feel about it?"

"I don't know. It's a great opportunity and she'd be stupid to turn it down…"

"But?"

"But, I can't go through this again, Ruz." Adam knew exactly what he was talking about. He was there when Jay was dealing with Erin leaving. If Hailey left, Jay might feel worse than he did the first time, and Adam knew it. He wasn't an idiot.

"Have you told her that?"

"No. I don't even know if she loves me back. I don't want to hold her back from anything." Jay took a long swig of his beer. Adam chuckled a bit. "What?" Jay gaped at him.

"Dude, she loves you. She was at your side the entire time you were at the hospital after you got shot and she never left until she knew you were okay. If that's not love, then I don't know what is. You don't have to worry about me. Hailey and I are completely over each other."

"I know that and I believe you. I just want to hear it from her."

"Then, go. We can do guys' night another time. This is more important." Jay nodded, grabbing his jacket and putting money up on the table for his beer. He said goodbye to Adam and got in his car to do the one thing he's been dying to do for months now.

* * *

Hailey was sitting on her couch, watching TV, and drinking a beer when she heard a knock on her door. She got up to answer it and on the other side stood Jay.

"Hey, Jay. What are you doing here?" Not that Hailey wasn't happy to see him, she just wasn't expecting to see him tonight.

"I need to talk to you about something," Jay replied.

"Yeah, anything." She moved to let Jay in. "Want a beer?"

"Sure, why not?" Both of them chuckled and she left the room momentarily to go get the cold beverage. When she came back, Jay was sitting on the couch and Hailey sat down next to him, handing him his beer. "So, what do you want to talk about?" Although she had an inkling about what it is, she wanted to hear it from him.

"I was wrong about what I said to you yesterday."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want you to take this offer from the FBI, Hails. I know I should've told you off the bat, but I was trying to see things from both sides. Now, I don't know if I want to." Hailey still had a baffled look on her face. What is he implying exactly? "I'm in love with you. Probably have been for a long time now. I was just scared to admit it because I fell in love with a partner once and it ended badly. You know that. You were there." Hailey nodded. "If you leave, I may feel worse than I did then when Erin left. God, the feds must hate me! You probably have made your decision and I don't want to steer you away from whatever you decide, but I just wanted to let-" Jay was interrupted by Hailey's lips crashing onto his.

"I'm glad you told me."

"Huh?"

"I'm in love with you too. That's what I wanted to tell you at the hospital before your UC phone ruined the moment." Jay chuckled. "I didn't realize it until Vanessa said it to my face and I practically confirmed it to her. I was scared to confess too because you know my love history, it hasn't been all that great and I didn't want to continue that, but now, being here with you, I think this time, it could be different. The good kind of different." The two partners smiled and stopped talking. Their lips crashed onto each others' and it went on for a minute or two before Hailey stopped. "The feds are gonna hate me too."

"Why? What do you mean?"

"I made my decision. I'm not gonna go. I'm staying here."

"You serious?"

"Yes. You're more important to me than some job offer, Jay." He smiled. No one has ever put him before anything else. He knew at that moment that Hailey was special and possibly the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. They spent the rest of the night cuddling and watching TV until they both fell asleep. Both Hailey and Jay were excited to see where their new relationship goes.


	2. A Birthday Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay's birthday is right around the corner. Hailey wants to plan a surprise birthday party for him and both her and Will are acting weird, but it's for a completely good reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This next chapter is all about Jay's birthday. I know they haven't said when his birthday was on the show, so I'm just making it up! There will be a time jump of a few weeks, just to let you all know. This chapter is also a two parter as well, so I will be following it up with another one right after this! Hope you enjoy it!

A few weeks passed since Jay and Hailey made their new relationship official. When they told the rest of the unit, they were so happy for them, Kevin especially, since he earned some money out of that deal. Everything in the unit was going good and everyone was closer than they ever were before. Jay's birthday was coming up rather quickly and Hailey wanted to do something really cool for him. She had a few ideas in her head, but she wanted to talk to somebody about them. Somebody that knows him best: his brother, Dr. Will Halstead.

* * *

Hailey got to Med after her shift was over and asked to speak to Will. Luckily for her, he was right there when she asked for him and when she told him what she wanted to speak to him about, he nodded and led her to the doctors lounge.

"So, what do you have in mind for Jay's birthday?" Will asked.

"I want to throw a surprise party for him at Molly's, but I don't know if he'll be up for that," Hailey replied.

"He more than likely will if it involves cold beer and good friends. Plus, he's not going to have a choice in the matter, so just go for it!"

"Great! I'm having trouble on what to get him though. Do you have any ideas?"

"Yeah, I know. He's one of the toughest people to buy gifts for. I've been there." Hailey laughed. They brainstormed some ideas about the party and gift ideas, but they were still a little stumped at the same time. Hopefully, the next few days get better in terms of that process. Will had to get back to work, so Hailey left. She couldn't wait until Jay's birthday came around.

* * *

A couple days later, Will was excited at the news he just got. For some reason, Jay's best friend from the Army Rangers and former CPD tech wiz, Greg "Mouse" Gerwitz, called him instead of his brother. He is coming back to Chicago for good because the Rangers left him with a lot of injuries and he was given an honorable discharge from his sergeant, with long term disability benefits coming much later. Plus, the trauma was too hard to handle for him there. Even more so than last time. Will was secretly happy because he now found the perfect birthday gift for Jay. Now, he just had to tell Hailey.

Will made his way to the 21st district and the first face he saw was Desk Sergeant Trudy Platt. She had a blank look on her face like she always does, but she still made eye contact with him.

"Will. What are you doing here? Do I need to get Jay? Is it something serious?" Trudy asked, suddenly getting concerned. It's not every day that the doctor shows up to the district, after all.

"Nah, I'm fine. I'm here to speak to Hailey actually." Trudy gaped at him.

"About what?" _She's not budging!_ Will thought.

"It's nothing bad. I just need to talk to her about something." Trudy knew there was more to the story, but she had better things to do than talk to Brother Chuckles. She called Hailey down and let her know that Will was here.

Hailey came down and greeted Will. She pointed to the door of the office across from Platt's desk because although she loved Platt, she was rather nosy, and she wanted to keep the surprise party plans under wraps for now. When they went in, Will shut the door behind him.

"So, what do you need to talk to me about? Jay's already getting suspicious," Hailey said.

"That's not a surprise. I found the perfect gift to give him and I want to see if you want to pitch in on it with me," Will replied. It wasn't a gift that you could exactly pitch in on, but she got what he was saying.

"Great! Yeah, I'll go in on it. What is it?"

"His best friend, Mouse."

"Who?"

"Mouse, or Greg Gerwitz, which is his real name, was Jay's best friend from when they were in the Army together. For a while, Mouse was all he had because I wasn't there for him when I should've been. Anyway, he worked here for a while as the tech wiz for Intelligence. He was awesome at it! After a while, he wanted to go back to the Army, and he did. But now, he called me and said that he's moving back to Chicago for good. He had a lot of injuries that he sustained, which led to his honorable discharge, plus the trauma this time around was much harder for him to handle than the first time. I'm gonna tell Voight what's going on so if Mouse wants his job back, he can have it."

"Wow. I've never known that before. Do they still keep in touch?"

"It's hard to keep in touch with someone in the military, but I know that Jay misses him greatly."

"Where's he gonna stay? It can't be my house because Jay's there practically all the time." Will laughed at that.

"He'll stay at my place. I just moved out of Jay's apartment and into someplace new, plus it still leaves the surprise intact. My ex-girlfriend moved out of there not too long ago, so it's fine."

"Great! I can't wait to meet him! This party is going to be awesome!" Will agreed. They both had things they had to do at work, so they stopped the conversation. Plus, Hailey decided to clue Trudy in on what they were doing since Trudy is one of the co-owners of Molly's now, and she needed to set up the date for it.

* * *

The next day was the day that Mouse was coming back to Chicago and Jay's surprise party was that night, so it was perfect timing. Will couldn't pick him up from the airport because that's what being a doctor does to him, so he asked Hailey to do it. She was more than willing to and she was expecting a text from Mouse since Will gave him her number and told him that she would be picking him up. Mouse understood why Jay couldn't and he was fully on board with surprising him tonight. Plus, he was excited to meet Jay's new girlfriend that he didn't tell him about.

Hailey was sitting across from Jay doing paperwork on the case they had today. He had a cupcake on his desk that Hailey got for him since it was his birthday. Her phone chimed and Jay looked at her. Everyone else knew what was going on, so it didn't phase them. She told her boyfriend not to worry about it, then she went to Voight's office to show him the text. Will clued him in, so he told Hailey to go. She picked her jacket up off of the chair and put it on.

"Where are you going?" Jay asked her.

"I have an urgent errand I have to run. I'm coming right back, don't you worry!" Hailey kissed him on the way out and Jay got suspicious again. _What the hell has been going on this week?_ he thought. He's never seen his girlfriend and his brother act this weird before in his life.

* * *

Hailey was sitting in a chair at the airport waiting for Mouse to show up. Will texted her the address of his new place because she's never been there before. When the intercom said that the next flight was now arriving, she stood up and looked for Mouse, who was doing the same thing. She waved at Mouse to let him know who and where she was. He grinned, walking up to her.

"Hey! You must be Hailey!" he said.

"That I am. So nice to meet you, Mouse!" Hailey replied, smiling.

"You too. Jay never told me that he got a new girlfriend, so this is a nice surprise." Hailey chuckled. "God, it feels good to be back in Chicago!"

"Tell me about it. I just came back here not that long ago from New York." Mouse looked at her, confused. "Short FBI stint. Voight sent me there to get my head on straight." Mouse nodded.

The two of them left the airport and were talking all the way to Will's place. Mouse was telling her about how he was the tech wiz at CPD, his time in the army, and his PTSD experiences, since Hailey told him that Jay had some episodes of his own with that. It was nice for Hailey to hear that Jay wasn't alone in anything for a long time.

"Here we are!" Hailey said, pulling up to Will's driveway.

"Wow. We're here already?" Mouse asked. Time flies when you're catching up with someone.

"Yep. Crazy, I know. See you tonight!" Hailey and Mouse waved at each other and Hailey drove off. She had to get back to the district. Jay got suspicious again, she just knew it. She just wanted to tell him about it, but that would blow her cover, and Will would not be happy.

* * *

The night of the party finally came. Everyone was there, from firefighters, to doctors, to fellow cops. They were all there to celebrate the birthday of their friend and colleague, Jay Halstead. Will had the job of picking up Jay and taking him to Molly's. It's the least he could do since he couldn't pick Mouse up from the airport.

Will pulled up to Jay's apartment complex and parked. He sighed, then got out of his car. He walked up the stairs and knocked. Jay looked at Will when he answered the door.

"Hey. Wanna go get some drinks at Molly's with me?" Will asked, hoping that this plan would work.

"You've been acting weird all week and now, you wanna get drinks?" Jay replied with a baffled look on his face. Will had a look of fear on his face. "I'm kidding, man, I can never turn down cold beer!" Jay went back inside to get his jacket while Will let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding. Will sent the text to Hailey to let them know that they were on their way.

* * *

The Halstead brothers walked into Molly's and the lights were turned off.

"Why the hell are the lights turned off? Is there some sort of power outage or something because if there is, we can just drink back-" The lights suddenly came on.

"SURPRISE!" Every single person in that bar yelled out in excitement. Voight was even there. The look on Jay's face was priceless. Hailey walked up to him.

"Happy birthday!" she said to him with a smile on her face. They were currently hugging right now.

"Is this why you and Will have been acting like crazed maniacs all week?" he asked.

"Pretty much, yeah." Jay chuckled. Will ruined their moment seconds later, though.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Hailey and I got another surprise for you," Will said with a smirk on his face. He gave a signal to someone.

"What? I don't need anything!" Jay replied. Out of the blue, he heard a voice that he hasn't heard in a very long time.

"Wow, man. I'm hurt!" Mouse jokingly said, but he was still smiling.

"Mouse!" Jay went up to him and hugged his best friend that he hasn't seen in a long time. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Get a beer and find out!" Mouse isn't letting Jay off that easy. They had a lot of catching up to do. Hailey was happy that her boyfriend could see his best friend, but this time, it's for good. Life is even better now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you weren't expecting Mouse, were you? That was a nice little surprise I threw in there because I miss him so much! I'm sure I'm not the only one! Lack of Upstead, I know, but I promise to make it up to you in the next chapter.


	3. You're My Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay and Mouse catch up. While having a conversation with the girls, Hailey's insecurities come to light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next part of the 2 part birthday story for Jay, and I promised you more Upstead, so Upstead you shall get! Hope you enjoy it!

Jay and Mouse went to a two person table with their beers and sat down. They had a lot of catching up to do, that's for sure. Right off the bat, Mouse wanted to know what has been going on since he left. Jay didn't hold back on everything. After all that was done, the conversation turned to Hailey.

"Hailey's such an awesome person! You never told me that you had a new girlfriend!" Mouse said.

"Yeah, well, it's quite recent. We were too stubborn to admit we loved each other as more than partners until a few weeks ago," Jay said. Mouse wasn't surprised.

"To be honest, I've never seen you happier until now. I haven't seen you this happy when you were even dating Lindsay."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It seems like you and Hailey click better."

"Well, I don't want to compare Hailey with Erin because they're nothing alike."

"I know, but I was just saying…"

"Hailey's special, man. She turned down a permanent offer to join the FBI to stay here in Chicago with me." Mouse's jaw dropped.

"She put you before the feds?" Jay nodded with a grin. "I rest my case then!" Jay laughed and the two continued talking before Voight walked up to them.

"Mouse." Voight hugged him and welcomed him back. "If you want your job back in Intelligence, it's yours."

"Really? I can have my job back like that?"

"Yep. You're one of us and you always will be. The door's open!"

"Thank you so much, Sarge! I will definitely take it, then!"

"Great. See you Monday!" Voight walked away and Jay couldn't be happier. His best friend was going to work with him again and he was so excited.

* * *

**Meanwhile, during Jay's conversation with Mouse….**

Hailey decided to let Jay and Mouse catch up since it's been a few years. She went up to the bar where the girls were. Sylvie Brett from 51, her partner Gianna Mackey, Kim, Stella, and Natalie were there. Hailey took the open seat next to Sylvie. It was clear that Sylvie was drunk because she was crying. Sylvie even said herself that she cries when she's drunk.

"What's wrong, Sylvie?" Hailey asked with concern.

"Matt and I kissed. The only problem is that I know he's still in love with Gabby, but he's just not admitting it. Surely, you would know what that feels like," a drunk Sylvie said.

"What is that supposed to mean exactly?"

"Mouse is back. He was around when Jay was dating Erin. You would know how I feel because Jay's dated someone in his unit before." Kim, Stella, and Natalie looked at each other. Even though Sylvie was drunk and not realizing what she was saying, they were not liking how this conversation was going.

"Who's Erin?" Gianna asked. _Oh no!_ Kim thought. This is going to get ugly.

"That's a story for another time," Kim said. Gianna nodded. No one wanted to make things worse than they already were. However, Sylvie didn't listen.

"Erin was Jay's old partner before Hailey came around. They were dating and in love. Probably as in love as Jay and Hailey are right now." The girls' jaws dropped. Did she really just say that?

Hailey grabbed her coat off the chair and put it on. She wasn't putting up with this crap anymore. She walked out of Molly's not looking at anyone in the process.

* * *

Jay and Mouse got back to talking when Jay saw Hailey walk out all mad. Him and Mouse exchanged confused glances. "I'm gonna go take care of this." Mouse nodded. He got his jacket and walked out.

"Hailey! Hailey! Hails! Come on, babe, talk to me," Jay said, following Hailey out. Her back was turned to him.

"If Erin came back and asked you to get drinks with her or catch up or go to New York with her, would you?" Hailey asked, turning around.

"What? Where is this coming from?" Jay hasn't thought about Erin for a long time.

Hailey sighed before saying, "I was with the girls at the bar because I wanted you to catch up with Mouse, but when I got there, Sylvie was drunk and going on and on about kissing and being in love with Casey who she thinks is still in love with Gabby. Then she talked about you and Erin and how in love with each other you guys were, and she compared it to the love we have. She said that Mouse was around during that time too. " Hailey turned her back to him again. Jay closed his eyes and took a breath. He should've seen this coming.

"I'd tell Erin to shove it." Hailey turned around with a look of hope. "I'd tell her that I'm not interested in anything she has to say because I have you, and quite honestly, you're all I want, need, and love. I haven't thought about her in a long time, Hails. That's a good thing. Yeah, Mouse was there then but he said to me tonight that when I'm with you, he's never seen me happier."

"Really?" Hailey could not believe what she heard.

"Really." Hailey smiled. "You don't have to worry about a thing. Erin's my past, but you're my future and that's all that matters."

The two of them then kissed passionately for a few minutes before they came up for air and went back inside. Jay was happy that the conversation ended on a positive note. He was gonna have a chat with Casey about what Brett said, but most of all, he had his friends there to celebrate with him along with his girlfriend/his partner/his future Hailey by his side. It's them against the world and they wouldn't have it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I completely apologize for Sylvie being all "Drunk bitch" in this story, but it had to be Sylvie based on what happened in previous episodes with Casey. She's one of my favorite characters and I'm not trying to bash her in any way, shape, or form. Plus, she has said on the show that she cries when she's drunk and when someone's drunk, they're usually not thinking straight, so I hope that clears up some things on that front!


	4. Revenge Gone Awry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When something mysteriously happens to Hailey, it's up to Jay and the unit to help save her.

It's been a couple days since Hailey and Jay had their little spat outside of Molly's that ended with a declaration of undying love. The two of them couldn't be happier. Sylvie apologized for her drunken mistake and Hailey accepted it. She understood: Sylvie was drunk and wasn't thinking about what she was saying and it all worked out in the end, so they're good.

* * *

Hailey got out of her car and was walking to the district ready to go to work. She and Jay decided to stay at their own places last night because Jay had to go in early for some paperwork, so Hailey slept in a bit. She was going in on the side where Platt was today. _Change of scenery is always nice!_ Hailey thought. As she was walking, she could feel the presence of someone watching her, but she brushed it off because she didn't think it was that serious. All of a sudden, everything went black and she was being dragged off of the ground by a mysterious person.

* * *

Jay was sitting at his desk waiting for his girlfriend to arrive. She usually showed up not long after he did, so the fact that she was later than she usually was is saying a lot. A cup of coffee was sitting on her desk, which was getting cold at this point. Everyone in the unit noticed her absence and they weren't shy of asking him about it.

"Where's Hailey?" Adam asked. "Shouldn't she be here by now?"

"I don't know. She decided to sleep in a bit because I had to come in early today, but other than that, I haven't heard anything else from her."

"It's odd. She's usually one of the first ones here and now, she's MIA," Kim said.

"Don't say MIA! She probably had an errand to run or something. She'll be here," Jay replied. He spoke too soon, however, because things got worse before they got better. Platt walked upthe stairs with a solemn look on her face. Voight came out of his office because it wasn't often that Platt came up the stairs on her own free will, so he knew something was up.

"Hey Trudy. What brings you up here?" Voight asked.

"I have some bad news, Hank." Everyone's faces turned to looks of fright, worry, and concern at that moment. "A witness just came inside and told me something that you all should know. Especially you Jay." Jay just looked like he's seen a ghost.

"Well, don't just stand there! What the hell happened?" he asked.

Trudy gulped and took a breath before she spoke again. "Someone whacked Hailey upside the head with something and dragged her out somewhere. My guess is an abandoned warehouse, that's where they always go. I went out there and saw her phone cracked and destroyed. Blood is everywhere on the concrete outside. Basically, what I'm saying is, Hailey's been kidnapped." Time just stopped at that moment.

Jay then slammed his fists on the table, making everyone flinch. "What do you mean she's been kidnapped?"

"How the hell else am I supposed to explain it Jay?" Trudy exclaimed. She understood why he was mad and he had every right to be. She just didn't know how to help him. Jay then walked out of the bullpen and towards the locker room.

* * *

Jay was standing in the locker room and when he got to his locker, he slammed it and sat on the bench with his head in his hands about ready to cry. Things were just going good with him and Hailey and now, he may lose her. He tuned out the world, so he didn't see Kevin come in and sit down right next to him.

"Hey. We'll find her, bro. If I know Hailey, she won't be going down without a fight. She'll be just fine," Kevin said. Jay nodded. Hailey wouldn't want him to mope around. She would want him to fight and solve this case.

The two of them then walked out of the locker room and back into the bullpen. Adam and Kim had apologetic looks on their faces. There was nothing that they could do about it except help Jay out in this fight to get her back. Hailey was their friend too. Voight had the floor and told them all to find every bit of evidence they can. This was one of their own, and like Kevin said, Hailey wasn't going down without a fight, and neither were they.

* * *

Hailey woke up and took in her surroundings. She was in an abandoned building, that much she could gather. Her hands and legs were tied up. She couldn't move. The back of her head was probably bleeding, considering what she got whacked in the head with can cause some damage.

"Well, well, look who's finally awake!" a Latina girl said. "Marco, look. She's awake."

Marco walked up and laughed. "Look at you. You call yourself a cop? Maria here could make a much better cop than you ever could."

Hailey didn't flinch. "I'm a cop. Unless stated otherwise, that's what I'm gonna be for the rest of my life." She didn't know why she was here, but if she had to guess, it was probably a revenge plot of someone she pinched. "I'm not afraid of either of you. So, if you think that this will scare me or some form of threatening me, you're gladly mistaken."

"You see, I was expecting you to say that. Now, I guess it's time for us to call in the, what is it you guys say?, big guns," Maria said. She signaled for somebody to come and when Hailey saw who it was, she couldn't believe it. Just when she thought this person was in prison, they suddenly got out. _Un-freakin-belivable!_ Hailey thought.

* * *

The unit wasn't gonna stop until they got Hailey back and when they found every piece of evidence, they literally meant it. Jay and Adam looked at the security footage of the district and were able to pinpoint the people in the video from facial rec: twins named Marco and Maria Gomez. They were about Hailey's age, but they had a lot of priors already. Something told them they were either a part of The Latin Players or another big organization that they didn't know about.

Meanwhile, Kim, Mouse, and Kevin were looking at things from the tech side: license plate numbers, files from prison, basically anything they could get their hands on. When they were looking through everything, Kim suddenly saw a piece of evidence that was the most important of them all. She looked shocked and when Kevin asked her what was going on, she pointed to the screen and he had an equal look of shock on his face. _This can't be happening right now,_ Kim thought. Mouse was confused, but he had a feeling that he would get an explanation of what was going on here shortly. Kim ran up to the bullpen with this new piece of info. "Guys, I got something." Everyone looked at her and Mouse and Kevin showed up right behind her.

"I found the organization that they are a part of and you're not gonna believe who runs it." There was a slight pause. "Gael Rodriguez." Jay was now fuming.

"What the hell's he doing out of prison?" he asked.

"I don't know, but that's what we're gonna find out!" Voight said.

* * *

"Well, are you happy with yourself, Gael? You got me here. What exactly do you want from me?" Hailey asked. Maria rolled her eyes. _She doesn't give up, does she?_ she thought.

"You see, you're the one that put me in prison. Now that I'm out, on great bail mind you, it's my turn to put you in your misery," Gael replied. Hailey should've seen this coming. _Well, I guess karma's a bitch!_ she thought. If the FBI wasn't gonna teach her a lesson, this would.

* * *

"Guys, I got an address," Mouse said. Everyone looked at him. "6653 South Wabash."

Voight got his jacket and said, "I want boots on the ground! Let's go!" Everyone nodded and went to go get ready to get Hailey back.

* * *

Hailey was trying everything she could to set herself free. She tried using her teeth to cut the rope open, but that didn't work. When Maria saw her try to get free, she told Gael and suddenly Gael put a gun to her head. "You think you could walk out that easy? Nice try, bitch!" All of a sudden, a voice was heard.

"DROP YOUR GUN BEFORE I DROP YOU!" Jay yelled at him, gun in hand. Kim was standing right next to him, mirroring his pose. Voight came in and all hell broke loose. Gael pointed his gun at Voight, and Voight shot at him, possibly killing him. Jay was trying to fend off Marco while Kim got Maria. Once they were able to cuff them, they handed them off to patrol officers to send them back to the precinct so they could get interrogated. Kim went over to untie the rope off of Hailey and Hailey then hugged her once she was free. "I'm so glad you're okay!" Kim said. Hailey nodded.

She then got up and ran over to Jay, who hugged her. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you alive!" he said. "I'm happy you're here!" Hailey said. "It killed me to see you tied up in that rope!" Jay said. "I know," Hailey said, nodding. They spent a few minutes in each other's embrace. They deserved it after being apart all day. Kim and Voight looked on, smiling. Jay decided to take her to Chicago Med to get checked out, while Kim and Voight went back to the precinct.

* * *

When Jay and Hailey came back to the precinct from Chicago Med, everyone was happy to see her. She received hugs and normally, she liked hugs, but she was too exhausted to receive any right now. Everyone understood that. Hailey then walked to the locker room and had a minute to herself. She saw Jay walk in. No more than she saw him, she wrapped her arms around him, and he did the same. She started crying in his embrace and he just held her, kissing her head in the process.

"I guess I should've seen this coming. I learned my lesson today," she said while crying.

"I have no room to judge because I've done similar things. I'm just happy you're here and you came back to me," Jay replied.

"Yeah, I am too."

"You have no idea how scared I was to hear that you were kidnapped. It's my fault that you were there. If we rode together, then this wouldn't have happened."

"Jay, stop that. It's not your fault. None of this is. I got myself into this mess, I guess getting kidnapped was my way of cleaning it up."

"I guess you're right." They held each other for a couple more seconds before Hailey got her bag out and started packing it up.

"I'm gonna check in with Voight and then head on home, maybe get to sleep. See you there?" Jay nodded. "You know it!" he replied. "See you later, babe! Love you!" Hailey then nodded, said that she loved him back, and walked out to the bullpen and into Voight's office.

* * *

Hailey knocked on the door to Voight's office and it was okay for her to come in.

"How are you feeling?" Voight asked.

"Exhausted, happy that I'm back where I belong. I guess you've been wanting to hear this since I came back: I learned my lesson in crossing lines," Hailey replied.

"I'm happy that you're alive. Being kidnapped is no fun, but I'm glad that you learned your lesson." Voight then got the whiskey out of his drawer and got two shot glasses out. He poured it in the glasses and handed one to Hailey. They cheered and drank the shot of whiskey.

"Go home, Hailey, you deserve it after the day you had." Hailey nodded. That's exactly what she was going to do. She was going to have Jay over tonight, though, so she was happy to be going home.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jay went downstairs to where Mouse was. Mouse knew what he wanted to do so he got out two beers. The two men cheered and drank.

"How are you holding up, man?" Mouse asked him.

"I'm just happy that Hailey came back alive. I was so scared and for a moment, I thought my PTSD was gonna come back and haunt our asses," Jay said.

"Yeah, but like you said, she's okay and she's alive."

"I'm gonna head to her house after we're done here. She may be asleep when I get there, but she won't mind."

"Probably a good idea. I wanted to ping her phone to get an address quicker, but since it was destroyed, I couldn't."

"I know. I'm just happy we got there when we did. Son of a bitch had a gun to her head when we showed up."

"Jesus. I can see why she's exhausted. Look, go home. Be with her. You're at your happiest when you're with her."

"So I've been told." Jay got up and grabbed his jacket, saying goodbye to Mouse and heading to Hailey's place. Luckily, she was still awake when she opened the door because he didn't have a key. She was probably waiting on him before she went to sleep was his guess. Jay could see himself moving into Hailey's house and living there on a permanent basis. All Hailey has to do is say the word and he would do it in a heartbeat.


	5. A Nice Ring to It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay's been working overtime, but Mouse doesn't know why. When he does, he couldn't be happier.

It's been a couple weeks since Hailey got kidnapped. Since then, she's been going to therapy with Dr. Charles to work through the traumatic situation and Jay's been helping her out a ton as well. Jay also brought her on a double date to Topgolf with Stella and Kelly from 51 one night in order to get her mind off of things. It helped tremendously because Hailey had so much fun and she may have beaten him at one point, which she was always happy about because she enjoys teasing him. Stella and Kelly got a kick out of that too! When Voight found out that Hailey's phone got destroyed, he got her a new one, which he said was an early Christmas present to her. She couldn't be more thankful and grateful for her boss at that moment. Voight loved them like they were his kids and it definitely showed.

* * *

The unit's latest shift was over and lately, Jay's been working lots of overtime. With Christmas coming up, he knew what he wanted to get Hailey and he knew he wanted to take their relationship to the next level. Hailey was mad that he was working overtime, but she also knew that there was a reason why he was doing it. Jay didn't do it very often.

"Hey, man, why are you still here? Shouldn't you be at home?" Mouse asked Jay.

"Shouldn't I be asking you the same thing?" Jay replied.

"Touche. Anyways, I wanna know. You never work overtime!" Mouse pulled up a chair and sat down.

Jay paused before replying, "I'm saving up to buy Hailey an engagement ring." Mouse's jaw dropped.

"Wow, man. That's so cool! But, I gotta ask, what about your mom's ring that you were telling me about?"

"That ring has given both Will and I bad luck. He proposed to Natalie with it and their engagement didn't work out. I almost proposed to Erin with that ring and well, you know how that turned out. She up and left before I could."

"Jay Halstead, never pegged you for a superstitious guy!" Jay glared at Mouse.

"Anyway, I need you to come with me when I do buy the ring. Moral support?"

"Yeah, man. Absolutely! I have no idea what we're looking for, but I'll come! You might wanna talk to Adam though. He's been through this process before and he may give you some advice."

"That is a generous tip, but I know generally what I'm looking for already." Mouse nodded. The both of them can't wait to go engagement ring shopping. Mouse just can't wait until he finally pops the question.

Little did the two men know, Voight overheard the entire conversation. He had to unlock his safe when he got home.

* * *

The next day, Jay got to the district early so he could get started on paperwork and he didn't have to stay later than he usually has this week. The only other person in the bullpen was Voight, and Jay knew that he wouldn't be bothered because Voight usually keeps to himself.

Boy, was he wrong! Right as Jay's computer turned on, a stack of money plopped down on his desk. He looked up at the source and it was Voight. "I overheard you and Mouse talking about getting Hailey an engagement ring." _Crap! You can never get anything past this guy!_ Jay thought.

"Yeah, I've been working overtime to save up for it," Jay said.

"Look, Jay, I understand why you've been working overtime. Your parents probably raised you to be like that and they were smart parents for doing so. But, if you needed money, all you had to do was ask."

"Really? I didn't want to impose on you at all."

"You wouldn't be imposing on me. I consider each and every one of you in this bullpen like kids to me. I gave Hailey that phone because she needed it. Now, I gave you the money because you need it."

"Sarge, I thought you didn't tolerate in house romances."

"Yeah, well, even if I still didn't, I couldn't stop you guys anyway." Jay chuckled. The man had a point! "Go home when you're supposed to, Jay. Hailey deserves that." Jay nodded. That's exactly what he was going to do.

* * *

Another day passed and Jay was nervous as hell. It's been a long time since he bought an engagement ring, but he didn't want to pick the wrong one for Hailey. She was special. She was the best thing that has ever happened to him.

Jay and Mouse went to a jewelry store that Matt Casey recommended to him. It was a nice place, he has to admit. It's where Matt went to get Gabby's ring all those years ago. When Jay told the guys at Molly's that he was gonna propose to Hailey, they all couldn't be happier for him, Kelly especially, since he might be doing the same thing soon.

"So, what are you looking for exactly?" Mouse asked.

"Hailey doesn't like a lot of expensive things. She's very simple. Might go with a smaller ring," Jay replied. Mouse nodded in response.

They spent a couple hours looking at rings. Jay couldn't find the perfect one and Mouse didn't know what to do. He was there for moral support, as Jay put it. Even with the shopkeeper's help, he couldn't find the right one. Jay was about to give up on searching until he found the perfect ring. Why didn't he see this one before?

"Excuse me." The shopkeeper looked up. "Can I have this ring?" The shopkeeper looked to where he was pointing and nodded. He went and got the ring. Jay gave him Hailey's ring size. He knew that because she just bought new fashion rings recently and she hasn't taken the tags off of them yet.

When the guy got back with the ring, Jay looked at it in all its glory. "Wow," Mouse said. "That's a thing of beauty." It was a ring with a small diamond on it. Perfect for Hailey.

"Mhmm. Well in my price range too!" Jay replied. He paid for the ring and the two of them went on their merry way. Jay was happy that he found the perfect ring for Hailey. She was the love of his life and he wanted the ring to be perfect. Now, he just has to make sure that he doesn't screw up asking her to marry him. Although, he has a plan, so that helps things too. Hailey Anne Halstead has a nice ring to it, after all!


	6. I Wanna Marry Your Daughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A case hits too close to home for Hailey and she confides in Jay. When he finds out new information about her childhood, he takes matters into his own hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is where we finally meet Hailey's family! I got some inspiration from One Tree Hill for this, so if you know which scene I got the inspo from, let me know! I wanna see if you got it right! I know we met Hailey's dad in the previous episode(8x04) and I wrote this chapter way before then, but just imagine that this was before the heart attack.

A week has passed since Jay went to get Hailey's engagement ring. He had the perfect plan on when he was proposing. Let's just hope everything goes smoothly! When he told Kim, Adam, and Kevin that he bought a ring for Hailey, they were excited. Of course, the three of them got a bet going on when he would do it. They might successfully rope Platt into it too. _Let's see how this goes!_ Jay thought.

* * *

The gang had a really tough domestic violence case this week. It was about a girl and her mother that got abused by the father. Hailey was the most affected by this as it has happened to her before and Jay could see it very clearly. Voight tried to get her to go home to get her mind right, but if you know Hailey, you know that she won't stop on a case until it's over. Right now, the girl and the mother were being questioned in the break room by Hailey and Jay.

Jay was trying to question the girl and her mother, but they weren't budging. They were afraid that if they told the truth, then they would get hit again. Hailey saw their emotions and decided to help them out. "Hey. Look at me. I know exactly what you're going through. I've been through it before. The alcohol consumption gets out of control and once that happens, the hitting starts. Even when they're sober, the hitting continues. You don't do what they want. Bam. A fight goes down between spouses. Bam. As a child, you just want all the fighting to go away, so you hide your head under a pillow to block it out. Doesn't help when you have more than one sibling though. Then the hitting comes to the little ones that didn't do anything wrong. The family then becomes dysfunctional, and when the kids grow up, they leave because they want nothing to do with the negativity and abuse anymore. It's okay. You can tell us anything. We are not going to hurt you." Jay was looking at Hailey in awe. He learns more about her every day. He knew some of what her abuse consisted of, but he didn't know that this much happened.

The girl and her mother started telling them everything. Hailey wrote it all down and was listening to every word they said. Everything that they're going through matched a lot of what she experienced as a child. Once they were done, Hailey and Jay left the break room. Hailey went straight to her desk and didn't sit down immediately. She had her hands on it and she had a look of frustration on her face. Jay saw that look. He was sad that he didn't know how to help her because he never went through it, but there was one time where she said that she wished that someone would put her dad in his place. Even though it's too late now, maybe he could still be that someone.

* * *

Hailey was sitting on her couch drinking a beer and watching TV. She was expecting Jay over to her house to do their thing. He should be there any minute now. She was proven right when her doorbell rang.

"Hey babe!" Hailey said.

"Hey." Jay was holding a six pack of beer. "It was a tough case and I know that when the case is tough, you drink. So, here I am." He smiled and Hailey smiled back. She invited him in.

They sat on the couch and opened up their beer when Hailey said to him, "You can ask me anything you want. I'm ready to talk. It is our thing after all." Jay chuckled at the mention of their thing.

"Ok. I don't know where to start." He thought about it for a moment. "When you said that he hit you and your family when you didn't do what he wanted, what did you mean by that?"

Hailey sighed before unloading the details on him. "When I was in college, I was on the path to go to law school. That's what my dad wanted me to do. So, I stuck it out at U of C for 4 years. Got my pre law degree. However, when I told my parents that I wanted to become a cop, my dad just unloaded on me. He hit me. Screamed at me. Told me that I washed my life down the drain." Hailey was in tears. "All in front of my mother. She didn't do a thing about it because she didn't want him to lash out at her either. Yes, even at 22 years old, it still happened." Jay was frustrated. "My dad didn't show up at my graduation from the academy. My brothers did, however. They were the only two people that supported me in becoming a cop. I was devastated when my dad wasn't there. All I wanted was a family that loved each other and supported each other in our dreams. Guess we can't always get what we want, can't we?" She was balling her eyes out at this point and she was in Jay's arms. He was more than happy to hold her.

"Wow, Hailey. I didn't know it was that bad," Jay said.

"Yeah, it was. I don't like talking about it because it's a sore subject for me. But, you're the only person I feel comfortable talking to about it."

"You can talk to me about anything, babe. You know that." He meant it when he said that, but they are about to get married. He wants and loves to know everything about her. Her personality is what he loves about her after all.

"I know. Don't think I didn't see your shocked face when I was talking in the breakroom today."

Jay just held her for as long as she was content. They just sat on the couch and watched a movie on TV. Hailey finally fell asleep with her hand on his chest and as much as Jay wanted to get out from under her and leave her in peace, he felt calm and peaceful himself. Jay finally fell asleep and the two of them just laid on the couch in peaceful serenity together.

* * *

The next night, Jay decided to take matters into his own hands and confront Hailey's dad about everything that he's done to her. Hailey didn't deserve it back then and she certainly didn't deserve it now. She deserved a father that loved and supported her through the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Hailey did take him to meet her parents one day when they first started dating, but it was awkward even when he was there. He did meet her brothers, Chris and Luke. They were awesome guys. He had their numbers in his phone in case he needed anything from them. Jay used that to his advantage today and asked them for the address to their parents' house. When Chris asked why and Jay told him, he was on board as was Luke. It was about time someone gave him what he deserved.

Jay knocked on the door and fortunately, it was Hailey's mother, Helena, that answered. She greeted Jay and went up to get her husband, John. When he came down, he was puzzled when he saw his daughter's boyfriend downstairs. "Jay. What brings you here?"

"Well, I bought an engagement ring for Hailey. Just thought you wanted to know that."

"You came all the way here to tell me that?"

"Actually, no. I came here because you have been abusing the woman I love for a long time now. I know it's too late for me to do this, but you need to stop."

"What are you talking about? I love her."

"Yeah, well, you sure have a funny way of showing it, don't you?"

"I don't know what you mean. I truly love her."

"A true father doesn't hit his child just because she had a different vision in life than him. A true father doesn't hit any member of his family because the alcohol got to him. A true father doesn't yell and scream at his family when he doesn't get what he wants from them." Jay was way past the point of frustration now. He was angry and he had every right to be. He noticed the scars on Helena's face, no matter how much makeup covered them up.

"I don't appreciate you standing here and accusing me of abuse!" Jay wasn't stupid. He was a detective to prove that. All of a sudden, Chris and Luke showed up behind Jay. John had to fess up now that he knows that Jay has backup. Suddenly, John punched Jay in the face, but Jay wasn't having any of it. He started punching back and it took both Chris and Luke to pull him back.

"I wanna marry your daughter. Actually, scratch that. I'm gonna marry your daughter, and if you have a problem with that, then you might as well not show up to the wedding. Hailey deserves an amazing life. You've failed to give that to her." Jay walked out, Chris and Luke on his heels. The two brothers were happy that their dad finally got what was coming to him.

* * *

Jay went back to his apartment and nursed his bloody knuckles. He was too tired to go to Hailey's place and plus, she would question his injury, which he was not in the mood for at the moment. He just decided to sleep it off and wait for a new day. Jay meant everything he said to Hailey's dad. She deserved an amazing life and he can't wait to become her husband. Well, he has to propose first, but who says you can't plan ahead?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naming one of Hailey's brothers Luke was completely a happy accident! I searched up a list of Greek boy names and Luke Upton just happened to fit together. OTH fans, you will know what I'm talking about! Hope you enjoyed!


	7. Chill Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hailey and Jay decide to spend Christmas with Mouse and Will since they have no actual family left to celebrate with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI: I wrote this chapter around Christmastime and I know it's long over, but I love reading a good Christmas chapter as much as the rest of us do!

Christmas was almost here in Chicago and everyone in the Intelligence Unit couldn't be happier. Usually, Voight would let them go home early every year if they weren't too busy with a case. It continued to rein true this year. Most of the unit had families that they were spending it with after all: Adam with his dad, sister, and nephew, Kevin was traveling to Texas with Jordan to visit Vinessa, and Kim with her sister and niece. Voight was even going up to New York to visit Erin. Hailey and Jay, however, had no family that they were celebrating with. Well, Hailey did have family alive, but she doesn't want to celebrate with them. Not after everything her dad put her through. She doesn't want to put Jay through it either.

Mouse asked Jay if he and Hailey wanted to spend Christmas at his house that he shared with Will. After Mouse moved back to Chicago, Will decided that having a roommate that wasn't a significant other around was fun and he let him stay there on a permanent basis. Mouse was more than OK with that. Jay, of course, said yes and Hailey agreed with him on it. They couldn't wait until later that night.

* * *

Before they were heading to Mouse and Will's house, Hailey and Jay both decided to give their presents to each other first since they may not get around to doing it when they get back. Jay went first and gave his present to Hailey. It was wrapped in a rectangular shape and Hailey was curious as to what it was. Once she opened it, she gasped. It was a map of Chicago, framed, with lots of pins on it.

"The pins represent every important moment that we've had since we got together. Our first actual date, our first kiss, the bank where we first met, everything. There's also room for future moments on there as well." He was referring to his marriage proposal. Other future moments were fair game too, but Jay is a _one thing at a time_ type of guy. Hailey smiled. No guy has ever gone to great lengths to do something like this for her.

"I love it, Jay. I can't believe you remembered all of this!" Hailey said.

"Of course I did. I'm not usually this much of a sap, but I thought it was cool."

"Jay, you're not a sap. This is awesome!" Jay smiled. He was glad that Hailey loved it.

Now, it was her turn to give him his present. It was a rather small present, clear that it was something in a box. Jay opened it and two things were in it: hockey tickets and a house key.

"Hails, why are you giving me a house key for Christmas?" Jay asked.

"Well, I think we're at the point in our relationship where we're able to function living together, so Jay Halstead, will you move in with me?" Jay nodded and smiled. He meant it when he said that he would move in with Hailey in a heartbeat. She said the word, so it's finally happening. Plus, it's only fair that she's the one to propose moving in, since he's doing the ultimate proposal on New Year's Eve.

Jay then turned his attention to the hockey tickets in his hands. His eyes bugged out when he saw the font:

**WINTER CLASSIC**

**SAINT LOUIS BLUES VS. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS**

**WRIGLEY FIELD**

**JANUARY 1, 2021**

The best part about those tickets was that the seats were good too. 2 rows behind the glass, not too bad! Plus, the Blues vs. the Blackhawks are one of the greatest rivalries in NHL history. Jay had no doubt in his mind that it was going to be a good game.

"I bought the tickets months ago. It was hard to keep them around for so long," Hailey said with a smile. She knew how much Jay wanted to go to the Winter Classic. It's all he's been talking about for months. "If you decide to take Will or Mouse with you, I'm not even going to be mad."

"Are you kidding? Hails, you love hockey as much as I do. I want to take you. It'll be a fun date," Jay replied without any hesitation. Hailey smiled again. They kissed. Once they came up for air, they were on their way to Mouse and Will's. They had an announcement to make after all.

* * *

Mouse and Will were waiting on Hailey and Jay to show up. It wasn't long, though, because they heard a doorbell ring. Will got up to answer the door. "Hey, guys! What took you guys so long?" Will asked.

"Well, we had gifts of our own to exchange to each other. There may not have been time to give them when we got back to our place," Hailey said.

"Wait, did you just say our place?" Mouse asked.

"Yep. Hailey and I are moving in together. She gave me a house key for Christmas," Jay replied. Mouse and Will gave them congratulatory responses.

"We're also going to the Winter Classic together too, but that's beside the point," Hailey said. Will and Mouse were jealous. "You gave him hockey tickets too?" "Man, I've been wanting to go to one since I could learn how to watch hockey!"

The four of them decided to order a pizza because the three guys rarely cooked and Hailey wasn't in the mood to cook. Besides, a Chicago deep dish was always a good choice! While they were waiting on the pizza, Hailey decided to ask Jay and Mouse questions about the military. "So, what did you two usually do for Christmas in the military?"

"We actually got Christmas and New Years off like normal people do. Jay was planning on going back to Chicago, but Will had to work on Christmas, so it was pointless. I didn't have much of a family myself, so the two of us just stuck it out together. We didn't focus on the military on our off days. Always tried to do something fun," Mouse said. Hailey nodded. Will tried to apologize for not being there, but Jay brushed it off and told him it was okay. Will and Hailey then went on and talked about how they spent their holidays. Hailey's experience wasn't all that pleasant. The abuse still went on during the holidays. She could never catch a break. Jay was so mad when he heard. No one should have to go through it anytime, but on holidays especially.

The pizza eventually got there and the four of them were eating it until they were stuffed. The night was spent watching Christmas movies, playing games that brought out their competitive sides, and just spending time with each other. They all knew that this was going to be a new tradition for years to come. It was the best Christmas that either of them had for a very long time.

* * *

Jay and Hailey were happy that their presents were given to each other already because Jay wanted to test out a night together with Hailey in their new house and sleep was taking over. They were going to have to go back to his apartment to close out his lease and get the rest of his stuff, but as for tonight, they were perfectly content with sleeping in the same bed. Neither one of them was nervous about it. Both of them felt comfortable with the other in their arms. Christmas was never Hailey's favorite holiday, but now, she loves it because she finally experienced how Christmas was supposed to be: quality time with family, friends, and the people you love. She wouldn't change that for anything in the world.


	8. Will You Marry Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's New Year's Eve which means one thing: tonight's the night that Jay is going to propose. But can he do it without blowing it?

New Year's Eve finally arrived. Jay has never been this nervous in his entire life. Hailey did question it, which didn't help matters much at all whatsoever. A week prior, she asked him to move in with her, which he happily accepted. He's just hoping that she will accept his proposal, which is bigger and better than hers was. Just as long as everything goes to plan, that is.

* * *

The gang was at Molly's getting ready to count down to the new year. It wasn't just cops that were there. Firefighters, paramedics, doctors, and nurses were there as well. Mouse and Will must have told everybody what was going on. Usually, all of them weren't there at once, so it was rather odd. 10 minutes until the countdown. Jay couldn't wait any longer. He just decided to pass the time by talking to people and watching New Year's Rockin Eve on TV.

All of a sudden, it was 2 minutes until the countdown. Jay decided that it was time. His nervousness hit an all time high at this moment, as if it wasn't already high all week. He got Hailey's attention. "Hey, Hails, can I talk to you outside for a minute?" Jay asked. Hailey looked at him baffled.

"Yeah, but you're acting completely weird right now," Hailey said. Everyone at the table snickered, chuckled, and smirked. _Something's up!_ Hailey thought. She's a detective, nothing can get past her. She followed Jay outside and was worried, but curious about what he's got up his sleeve.

Meanwhile, Mouse and Will tried to get everyone's attention. They were all talking, so they couldn't hear the two of them. Mouse then stood on a table. "EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" All of them looked at him. Mouse pointed to the window. Everyone looked on waiting to see what was going to happen. They all knew that Jay was proposing, so they were hoping that it was for the best. Phones were out and money was being taken out of wallets ready to hand over to the winners of the bets they had going on.

Back outside, Jay was starting his speech. "Hails, I know you're worried about me right now, but please don't be. I've just been a nervous wreck all week because I've been trying to figure out how to do this without spazzing out." Hailey looked at him with her brows furrowed again. "These past 3 years have been amazing. I know we got off to a rocky start in the beginning, but that was completely my fault. Over time, I started seeing how awesome you really are and I fell in love with you. You felt the same way, and everyone knew it, but we were both too stubborn to admit it to each other." Hailey laughed. "That damn offer from the feds forced me to get my head out of my ass and tell you how I felt about you. The past few months have been the best months of my life and I have you to thank for that. I'm happy I finally told you how I felt because if I didn't, I probably wouldn't be standing here about ready to ask you this question right now." Hailey furrowed her brows. Jay got down on one knee and Hailey gasped. He could hear everyone counting down the seconds until the new year started and fireworks were going off. "Hailey Anne Upton, will you marry me?" It didn't even take a second for Hailey to respond.

"Yes! Absolutely, yes!" Hailey said. Jay got up and put the ring on her finger. He then hugged her, twirling her around in the process. Fireworks started going off and they kissed passionately. It was officially the new year and they were starting it off pretty awesome.

* * *

Meanwhile, back inside at Molly's, Platt slammed down money into Atwater's hand. Mouch laughed. Kim and Adam then followed suit, putting money into Kevin's hand. They can't believe he won the bet again. He won the first time when Upstead announced they were official. Everyone else was handing out money too, so they weren't the only ones. Jay proposing to Hailey was a long time coming and the moment had to be worthwhile, not just for the two of them, but for everyone else.

Hailey and Jay walked back in and they were met with cheering, hollering, and clapping. Congratulations were thrown at them left and right. They hugged everyone that offered them one. It was Herrmann's turn to silence everyone. "I don't like doing this very often, but since it's a very special occasion, DRINKS ARE ON THE HOUSE FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT!" Everyone cheered. "Jay and Hailey, you're up first!" The happy couple walked up to the bar and got their free beers. Before they got their beers, however, Herrmann gave them a celebratory shot for them to drink, and they did just that.

This was the best New Years that both Jay and Hailey had in a very long time. Hailey knew that Jay's proposal was way better than hers and she wasn't afraid to admit that. Jay was amused when she told him. She never admitted things like that to anyone. All of their friends being there to witness the engagement going down made the moment even better. The happy couple couldn't wait to get married and spend the rest of their lives together. What happens next is completely up to them. It's them against the world and they would like to keep it that way.


	9. It's My Turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since Jay threw Will a housewarming party all those years ago, it is now Will's turn to throw him and Hailey one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got inspiration for this chapter from the episode of Med where Will has his housewarming party that Jay threw for him. This is my take on what would've happened if Will threw him one. Plus, there's a little surprise in there, so BOLO for that!

A week has passed since Jay moved into Hailey's house. That day was pretty eventful in itself. When you had Will, Adam, Mouse, and Kevin there along with Kim to help, there were going to be a lot of shenanigans going down. The day before Jay moved in, him and Hailey went to the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field where the St. Louis Blues were facing the Chicago Blackhawks. It was a storied rivalry and a huge tradition on New Year's Day. Unfortunately, the Blackhawks lost 3-2, but it was a close game and the two of them had fun together.

* * *

It was a cold Saturday afternoon in January. Jay and Hailey wanted to spend some time at home in peace before the house would get crowded in a few hours. Will insisted on throwing them a housewarming party since Jay threw him one all those years ago when he moved in with Dr. Nina Shore, a pathologist at Med and Will's ex. "It's my turn to throw you guys one" is what he said to Jay when he told him about it. Jay's response: "Ok. Do what you want. Just don't give me a guitar. I can't sing worth a damn!" Will chuckled at that.

* * *

Nightfall came and Upstead's house was crowded as ever. Their friends from Intelligence, 51, and Med were all there. Both of them were surprised that a fire didn't start since their house is full of people well over fire hazard capacity. Will stood up and started to make a toast.

"I have decided to throw my brother and my future sister-in-law this party tonight as 1) a way to get back at Jay for throwing me one." Jay and everyone at Med that was there laughed at that memory. Hailey was so confused. "And secondly, to celebrate their engagement. When he told me that he was going to propose, I said that it was about damn time. My main goal was to find a present that both of you would like, and I've come to the conclusion that the best thing I could give you right now would be my co-host of this party." Everyone's brows furrowed. That was one thing that Will didn't tell them about. He whistled out to the back and someone came in through the back door. When everyone could finally see who it was, Hailey had so much joy in her eyes.

"VANESSA!" Hailey screamed out in glee and went to hug her best friend/former roommate that she missed so much. Vanessa got moved to Narcotics after the unit found out that Gael and his crew were after her. Voight wanted to keep her safe. She missed Intelligence so much though and she wishes that she could go back, but she knew that this was for the best. "How's Narcs treating you?"

"Ah, all the same. Nothing like Intelligence, though. Miss you guys like crazy!" Vanessa said, eyeing the unit. Everyone from Intelligence came up to her and it was one big giant group hug from there. When they released her, she asked Hailey a question. "Wanna tell me what's been going on these past few months? Seems like I've missed a lot!"

Hailey led Vanessa towards the couch while Jay was mingling with everyone else and told her about how she got together with Jay, her kidnapping, Mouse coming back(Hailey then introduced Mouse to Vanessa since he was there), and so much more, even the proposal. Vanessa squealed when she heard how the proposal went.

Once she heard that Kevin won both bets that the unit had on the two of them, she knew that she deserved a stipend for it. Rojas then got up and walked towards Kevin. "Hey, Kev, you might wanna split some of that money you won with me." Kevin gaped at her. "After all, I was the one that advocated for the two of them to get together when I was there. Hailey confessed to me that she loved Jay when she was waiting in the hospital to see if he was okay after he got shot." Luckily for Vanessa, Kevin still had all his money, so he pulled out his wallet and gave her some money. Rojas thanked him and went back to Hailey. The happy couple wouldn't admit it, but Vanessa was the best present that Will could've gotten for them. Hailey does have a question to ask her after all.

* * *

Almost everyone left Jay and Hailey's house except for the Intelligence Unit, Voight, Mouse, and Will. Since it was just them left, Jay decided to put the fire pit that they bought to good use and make a bonfire. Once the fire was lit, everyone got a lawn chair and sat around it. Jay and Hailey were sitting next to each other, followed by Kim next to Hailey, Adam next to Kim, Mouse next to Adam, Will next to Mouse, Kevin next to Will, Vanessa next to Kevin, and Voight next to Vanessa.

"Hey, Vanessa, I got a question I wanna ask you," Hailey said. "Shoot!" Rojas replied. "No offense to everyone else," everyone put their hands up showing that there was none taken, "but besides Jay, you've been my closest friend in Intelligence. I would say that you became my best friend and you still are. So, with that being said, how would you like to be my maid of honor at our wedding?" Vanessa nodded and everyone was cheering at that. They figured that Vanessa would be in the wedding somehow since she was so close to Hailey. Everyone in Intelligence just spent the rest of the night talking and hanging out by the fire before they all went back to their respective houses.

Jay had a big decision to make himself. He's gotten close with Will over the past few years and now that Mouse is back, he's been catching up with him as well. Jay doesn't know which one to choose as his best man. It's going to be a tough choice for him. However, he still has some time to think about it, so that was a plus!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How'd you like Vanessa as the big surprise in there? Since the show hasn't explained her departure yet, I wanted to bring her back in a big way because like Mouse, I miss her so much as well!! Hope you enjoyed!!


	10. Worst Monday Ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When something happens that leaves Hailey fighting for her life, Jay doesn't know how to process it. Intelligence is on the case to find out what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a crossover between PD, Fire, and Med, so it will definitely be a two parter! I'm focusing mainly on the Upstead of it all in this chapter, while the action and the nuts/bolts of the rest of the crossover will come your way in part two. It will make sense once I post it all! PS: The address for Hailey's house is her old one. I know she moved into a new place this season. I found it on itsfilmedthere.com in case you were wondering!

Monday officially arrived. Jay and Hailey didn't want to go to work after the eventful weekend they had. Every one of their closest friends were at their house celebrating their engagement and they had a lot of fun. The biggest surprise of all: Hailey's best friend, former roommate, and maid of honor Vanessa Rojas finally showed her face after a few months.

* * *

Jay and Hailey were walking out of their house, thermos of coffee in hands. It was a cold morning in Chicago, so that caffeine was much needed to wake them up. Hailey was going to drive them to work today since Jay was doing most of the driving on the case. He figured that it didn't hurt to shake things up on the driver's side every once in a while. Hailey put her thermos on the roof of her Jeep so she could open the door. Before she could do that, a gun blared out and Hailey was down.

"HAILEY!" Jay yelled running over to her. He couldn't believe the sight. Hailey was laying there, unconscious. "5021 George, shots fired at the police, officer down, I repeat officer down! Roll an ambo to 2016 West Wilson Ave! She's one of our own!" Jay couldn't believe that he could say that without crying. He immediately put his hand on Hailey's chest to contain some of the bleeding, even though she's lost a lot of blood already. "Come on, baby, stay with me," Jay said. Then, the tears started rolling and Jay couldn't do anything about it.

* * *

Sirens were blaring and Jay thanked the man upstairs that it was Ambulance 61 that pulled up. If it was anyone else, he wouldn't know what to do with himself. Brett and Mackey got out of the ambo and when they saw what they were dealing with, they were in absolute shock. "Oh my god," Brett said. Mackey was too speechless to say anything. "What happened?" "I-I-I don't know. She put her coffee on the roof of the car, and then all of a sudden, someone shot at her," Jay said, unable to talk through the tears. Brett and Mackey, with Jay's help, rolled Hailey into the ambo. Once she was in, Jay got in and sat down next to her. He couldn't stop crying and quite frankly, he doesn't want to stop.

* * *

61 pulled into Med and when Brett and Mackey got the stretcher out of the ambo and rolled it into Baghdad, the hospital staff couldn't believe what they were seeing. Hailey and Jay were like family to all of them, even if one of them is actually family. Crockett walked up to Brett and asked her what happened. "Hailey Upton, 32 years old, GSW to the chest, BP 125/95, stable but unconscious." Brett had tears in her eyes as she was saying it. Crockett told Maggie to call Voight and she did just that. Will was holding Jay back from doing something stupid. Jay then looked at the blood on his hands. _I can't believe this is happening right now,_ he thought. Will led him to the waiting area and he promised his younger brother that he would get frequent updates. Will was just as distraught as Jay was, but he also had a job to do.

* * *

It wasn't long before Intelligence showed up to Med. Platt even came. The minute Mouse saw Jay, he pulled his best friend in for a much needed hug. Everyone else followed suit after Mouse pulled away. "What the hell happened?" Voight asked. He was pissed off that one of his own was shot out of thin air. "We were getting ready to go to the district. Hailey was going to drive us today. She put her thermos on the top of the car, and she was about to open the door to her Jeep, but she got shot before she could," Jay said, eyes red from crying so much. Everyone then became sad, but they were also pissed. When they were pissed, they were motivated to catch someone even harder.

"We will be on this case, Jay. Hailey takes priority over every other case." Jay nodded. He directed his next words towards the rest of the unit. "We don't stop until we catch the son of a bitch that shot one of our own. I want each and every one of your heads on straight. Go through every piece of evidence you have to. Do whatever the hell you have to do. Are we clear?" Everyone nodded. They were clear the moment this happened. Intelligence left, but not without giving Jay a longing look and either a parting hug or a pat on his shoulder. Jay was happy that they were taking the case.

* * *

A few hours later, Kelly Severide and Squad 3 showed up. Kelly had a bag of food in his hand. Jay looked up at them. "Hey, guys. What are you doing here?" Jay asked.

"We heard about what happened. Brett said that Ambo and Truck will be here later. They're out on a call right now," Kelly said. "Mouse couldn't get out of the case, so he called and asked me to bring you food. So, we stopped by In-N-Out." Kelly held up the bag.

"Thanks, man," Jay replied and took the bag from Severide's hands. Squad sat down in the waiting room, Kelly and Cruz on either side of Jay. A few minutes later, truck and ambo showed up. Boden said that the house was taken out of service for the moment. Intelligence was family to the firehouse too and they would drop everything they were doing if they needed their help, even if they didn't want it sometimes. Not long after, Will and Marcel walked in with an update. Everyone stood up.

"I was able to get the bullet out of Hailey's chest. Her heart rate dropped a few times during the surgery, but we were able to bring her back successfully. She's doing just fine right now. Probably won't wake up for a while, but she's definitely conscious. Jay, if you want to see her, she's in the ICU," Marcel said. No more than Marcel finished his sentence, Jay beelined his way to the elevator. He was dying to see his fiance no matter how bad it was. Meanwhile, Will made a call to Mouse, telling him the good news and asked him if they got any leads yet with a no in response.

* * *

Day turned into nightfall and Hailey still didn't wake up. Jay never left her side once. He ate the burger and fries that Squad got him, but other than that, he hasn't eaten or drank much else. A lot of visitors showed up to Hailey's room at different times throughout the day: all of 51, all of Med when they were able(Will and Natalie showed up the most), Vanessa, and her brothers. Jay started crying again. "Hey, babe. I don't know if you can hear me right now, but I want you to know that I love you so much. Who am I kidding, you already knew it. God, I'm such a dumbass! You're the bravest person I've ever met in my life. When that gunshot went right through you, I was a mess. You made it out alive. I don't know what I would've done if I lost you. My life wouldn't be complete without you. We've still got a lot to do. A wedding and maybe mini versions of us running around in the future." Jay smiled as he said that. He dropped his head and sobbed loudly. His hand never left Hailey's throughout his speech.

Suddenly, Hailey's hand moved and Jay's head shot up immediately. She slowly opened her eyes and looked straight at Jay. She gave him a weak smile. Jay kissed her forehead. "Oh, am I happy to see you!" He went in for the hug, which Hailey accepted. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got shot," Hailey said. The happy couple shared a chuckle at her response. Nice to know that her humor is still intact throughout all of this. It was much needed, anyway. "Just so you know, I heard everything you said. You think I wouldn't die before we got married?"

"I'm so happy you said that! God, you're here with me right now."

"Yeah. I wasn't going to leave you. My life wouldn't be complete without you too." Jay smiled. He decided to call Voight and tell him that Hailey was awake. He also called a nurse down and told her to page Will. "Did the gang catch the guy yet?"

"Not yet, babe. Last I heard, Will called Mouse, who said that they were doing everything they can to get justice."

"That doesn't make me feel better right now."

"What would?"

"You walking over here and sitting next to me, holding my hand." Jay did just that.

* * *

An hour passed before Voight showed up. "We got him," Voight said. "He's in the cage back at the district when you get time." Hank wasn't stupid. He knew that Jay wanted some time with the suspect. Jay nodded. "Thank god!" He said. The fact that Hailey wasn't stopping him from beating the crap out of this guy proved that this was serious. Voight spent a few minutes with the happy couple before he left them alone. Jay was so happy that Hailey was alive. They complete each other, and without one, the other part of their heart would be empty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, like I said, BOLO for part 2! There will be repeat scenes in there as well as the Intelligence scenes as well!! Stay tuned!!


	11. Boots on the Ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Hailey is left fighting for her life at Med, it's up to Intelligence to be on the case. Meanwhile, everyone from Fire and Med is trying to deal with the tragedy that occurred with their good friend. Part 2 of the previous chapter.

Brett and Mackey walked into the firehouse with sad, distraught looks on their faces. Unfortunately for them, they didn't go unnoticed. Brett's boyfriend, Captain Matthew Casey, speed walked straight up to her. "Syl. Are you okay?" Sylvie shook her head. "Physically, yes. Emotionally, no," she replied. "Baby, what's going on?" Casey asked. What he got as a response shocked the hell out of him. "Hailey Upton's been shot." Everyone's heads shot up at the mention of the word shot. Boden even heard it and he just walked in. Casey immediately pulled Brett into his embrace and let her cry as long as she needed to. He kissed her head, then shot a look at Kelly, who reciprocated it. Intelligence was like family to them, just like 51 was family to Intelligence. Either one of them would drop everything to help out the other. The bells went off: **ENGINE 51, TRUCK 81, AMBULANCE 61, STRUCTURE FIRE…**

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

The bullpen only consisted of 4 people: Kim, Adam, Mouse, and Kevin. Voight was hanging out in his office alone like he always was. Everyone was waiting for Hailey and Jay to get to the district so they could start the case they received. However, Voight's phone rang just as Platt was walking up the stairs. "Voight," Hank said as he picked it up.

"Voight, this is Maggie from Med." Voight's face immediately turned to a look of concern. "One of your own just got brought into the hospital. GSW to the chest."

"Well, who the hell is it, Maggie? I swear to god if it's Halstead, I'm gonna have a chat with him!" Everyone in the bullpen suddenly looked towards Voight's office. When he was yelling, it was never good.

"For once, it's not Jay." Voight immediately knew who it was. "It was Hailey."

"Ok. Thank you for calling, Maggie. We'll be there soon." Voight hung up the phone and walked into the bullpen. He shared a look with Trudy. Judging by the same look on her face, she already knew. "That was Maggie from Med. Hailey's been shot. We gotta go!" They didn't need to be asked twice.

* * *

It wasn't long before Intelligence showed up to Med. Platt even came. The minute Mouse saw Jay, he pulled his best friend in for a much needed hug. Everyone else followed suit after Mouse pulled away. "What the hell happened?" Voight asked. He was pissed off that one of his own got shot out of thin air. "We were getting ready to go to the district. Hailey was going to drive us today. She put her thermos on top of the car, and she was about to open the door to her Jeep, but she got shot before she could," Jay said, eyes red from crying so much. Everyone then became sad, but they were also pissed. When they were pissed, they were motivated to catch someone even harder.

"We will be on the case, Jay. Hailey takes priority over every other one." Jay nodded. He directed his next words towards the rest of the unit. "We don't stop until we catch the son of a bitch that shot one of our own. I want each and every one of your heads on straight. Go through every piece of evidence you have to. Do whatever the hell you have to do. Are we clear?" Everyone nodded. They were clear the moment this happened. Intelligence left, but not without giving Jay a longing look and either a parting hug or a pat on his shoulder. Jay was happy that they were taking the case.

* * *

The unit was back in the bullpen ready to get to work. Hank wasn't taking this case lightly since it was one of his own. Trudy decided to help them out on this one. "Alright. Let's start with the how. Does Hailey have some sort of security system in her house or something?"

"No, she doesn't." Everyone turned towards Adam. "She does have one of those Ring doorbell things though."

"A what?" Hank replied. Adam forgot that he wasn't that tech savvy.

Mouse then stepped in. "It's a doorbell that has an app that you can install on your phone where you can see who's coming up to your porch. It's supposed to stop unwanted trespassers from soliciting the place." Hank nodded.

"Is there a way that we can see footage from that?" Mouse nodded. He decided to ping both Jay and Hailey's phones because he knew that they both had the Ring app on it. "I got it!" Mouse said not too long after. Everyone crowded around his desk. As much as they didn't want to, they watched the video. Nothing came out of it.

* * *

A few hours passed and they were getting nowhere. Everyone was hungry, but they were too invested in the case to get some lunch, so they settled for vending machine food. "Sarge, can I go out and make a call real quick?" Mouse asked. Hank nodded. If it was regarding Jay, then it was okay. Mouse then went out into the hallway where the interrogation rooms were and started to call 51.

* * *

Kylie, Boden's assistant, answered the ringing phone. "Firehouse 51, this is Kylie, how can I help you?"

"Hi. This is Greg Gerwitz, Intelligence, 21st District. Is anyone from the firehouse there right now? I need to ask them something." Boden told Kylie that if anyone from Intelligence ever called, she was instructed to help them out.

"Yeah, Squad's here." Truck, Engine, and Ambo had yet another call to go on. Even though a good friend of theirs was in the hospital, the calls didn't stop.

"Can I talk to Severide? Tell him Mouse is on the phone. He'll know who it is."

"Ok. I'm gonna put you on hold for a bit, alright?" Mouse replied with a response of OK. He knew she was going to get Kelly. A minute later, a new voice appeared on the line.

"Mouse, bud. What's up? Brett told us what happened. How are you guys holding up?" Kelly asked.

"We're all sad, but we're motivated. No leads yet, though. We probably won't know anything until Hailey wakes up," Mouse replied. "I called you because Jay probably hasn't eaten anything all day. I can't go get him food because I'm wrapped up in this case, which is important. I tried asking Vanessa earlier, but she was also wrapped up in a case over at Narcotics that she couldn't get out of. Would it be of any trouble for you and your Squad guys to go get some food for him?"

"No. Not a problem at all. Jay's like family to us. We'll do anything for family."

"Great! Glad to hear that!" Mouse and Kelly said their goodbyes, then Kelly walked out to the common room. "Guys, we're going for a ride." All of Squad then got into the truck and headed off to In-N-Out.

* * *

Crockett Marcel just finished up the surgery on Hailey. Will was behind the window, watching it all go down. He showed up at the tail end of it. Crockett walked out of the room towards Will. "Hey, could you give me the bullet? Ballistics is gonna want it. I would have you give it to the officer outside, but I don't trust them," Will said. Crockett nodded. Will then put the bullet in his pocket. The two men then walked towards the waiting room to give the update.

"Thanks, man. He's not gonna come out and say it, but you were the only person Jay trusted to do surgery on his fiance."

"Not a problem. Happy I could help. Not to mention, she's gonna be your family real soon too."

"Yeah." When they reached the waiting room, they weren't expecting the crowd Jay got. Nevertheless, Crockett still gave the good news. "I was able to get the bullet out of Hailey's chest. Her heart rate dropped a few times during the surgery, but we were able to bring her back successfully. She's doing just fine right now. Probably won't wake up for a while, but she's definitely conscious. Jay, if you want to see her, she's in the ICU." Jay then beelined his way to the elevator. 51 was happy that Hailey was alive, but they still had jobs to do. Will decided to call Mouse.

* * *

Mouse's phone rang. Everyone looked at him. "It's just Will," he said. "Hey, man, what's up?"

"Are you on speaker?" Mouse then put his phone on speaker, so everyone could hear it. "I have some good news for you all. Hailey made it out alive. Crockett said it was a difficult surgery, but despite that, she's still here." Everyone then cheered and clapped. "Do you have any leads yet?"

"Hell no!" Adam said. Kim glared at him. _He could've taken a much better approach to that!_ she thought.

"Well, I had Crockett give me the bullet and I am on my way to the district now so I can give it to you guys to hand to ballistics."

"Thank you so much, Will," Hank said.

"Not a problem, Voight. See you guys soon." Mouse then hung up the phone.

* * *

Will kept true to his word. Once Mouse got the text, he showed Hank, who sent Trudy to go down to get the bullet. "Hi, Brother Chuckles."

"Hello to you too, Trudy. Here's the most valuable piece of evidence you're gonna get today."

"Thank you again. You didn't have to drive all the way here. I'm sure your patients are getting mad by now."

"Not exactly. I've got nothing better to do. Goodwin gave me the rest of the day off once I filled her in on what was going on." Trudy nodded. "I'm gonna head back to the hospital, keep an eye on Jay. Make sure he hasn't gone crazy yet." Trudy nodded again, then she headed over to ballistics.

* * *

The ballistics showed up a little while later. According to the guy Kim and Adam retrieved the info from, the guy that had the gun and shot Hailey was named Tyrone Williams, a key member of the Southside Hustlers. When asked about any gang wars going on, it didn't seem that Tyrone was going after anyone from another gang in particular right now. Kim then snapped her fingers. "Hailey's arrest records," she said. She then got up out of her chair and walked towards the filing cabinet, where all the arrest records were stored. When she found what she was looking for, she handed out portions of all of Hailey's arrests to everyone so they all had a job.

Voight then got a phone call. It was Jay. He stepped into his office. "Hey, Jay. What? Great! Glad to hear that! We haven't caught the guy yet, but we're getting somewhere. See you soon." When he walked out of his office, the first smile of the day appeared on his face. "Hailey just woke up." He was met with cheers and sighs of relief. "So, now we have to work extra hard to pinch this Tyrone guy. It's what she would want." Sure enough, Kevin was the one that confirmed that Tyrone was someone that Hailey arrested years ago.

"I want boots on the ground! Let's go!" No one had to be told twice. This was for Hailey, their friend and their family.

* * *

An hour passed before Voight showed up to Med. Jay saw him and stood up. "We got him," Voight said. "He's in the cage back at the district when you get time." Jay nodded. "Thank god!" Hank wasn't stupid. He knew that Jay wanted some time with the suspect. He gave the happy couple some time alone, but not without saying hello to Hailey, and waited outside until Jay was ready to go.

* * *

On the way back to the district, Hank was telling Jay about the perp and how they got him. It took Jay a minute to process it. "So, wait a second, Hailey got shot because she arrested some sick psycho years ago and he wanted vengeance?" Hank nodded. "Son of a bitch!" Jay muttered. "Hey, save your anger for the cage. We're almost there."

Sure enough, a minute later, they reached the district. Jay immediately got out of Voight's car once he put it to a stop. He walked up to the cage. Voight stood aside. The first thing he did was punch Tyrone. "You son of a bitch!" He threw two more rounds. "You do realize that the woman you shot was my fiance, right?" Two more rounds then went into Tyrone's face. He then grabbed Tyrone by the shirt. "She's alive and awake. You're lucky, because if she wasn't, you would be receiving a hell of a lot more than punches!" He then threw Tyrone back onto the bench and walked out of the cage. It felt good for Jay to get some time alone with the guy and Voight knew that. Hank wasn't stupid. He thought Hailey and Jay were good for each other and he's never seen Jay that happy in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How about that Jay moment in the cage at the end, people? That was my favorite part of the entirety of the two chapters! Let me know what you think about it!! Hope you enjoyed and hope that cleared some confusion from the last chapter up for a lot of you!!


End file.
